The Graham Album Review
#1928

World music remains one of the
creatively bright spots on the music scene. A couple of decades
ago, it was the novelty of styles from places around the world that
made things interesting. These days, almost all of the music on the
World scene
is a cross-cultural mixture, which provides almost endless
possibilities. Obviously some of
it works
better than others, but this album review series has noted quite a
few interesting world music
fusion blends that were both intriguing and quite enjoyable, mainly
because they mix in
a few more familiar elements, and often do it in a danceable context.

This week we have another worthy
example of a hybrid that is
both edifying and something that you can dance to. It’s the debut
album by Cuban percussionist, songwriter and vocalist Brenda
Navarrete, and her new release is called Mi Mundo,
or “My World.”

Brenda Navarrette has been making
music since an early age. Her family were fans of jazz greats
including Sarah Vaughan,
Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday, as well as instrumentalists John
Coltrane, Miles Davis and the Yellowjackets. She more formally
studied music at a Havana music conservatory, taking up orchestral
and traditional Cuban percussion as well as piano. In
2010 she won a Cuban drumming competition. Her specialty is the batá
drum, a double-ended hand
held drum which originated in Yaruba region
of Nigeria, but it has also
been used in Cuban music. An
impressive singer,
Ms. Navarrete says she received no formal vocal training, but evolved
her style on her own. She
cites Bobby McFerrin as an influence, and like McFerrin, she often
layers her vocals to make near-choral arrangements.

Stylistically, the music on
Mi Mundo runs from
very eclectic Afro-Latin to more near conventional jazz, to music
that mixes the influence
of
traditional Cuban music with more contemporary elements, though those
influences thankfully do
not include any electronic percussion or loops. Half of the album
consists of originals by Ms. Navarrete, with other pieces by mostly
members of her band, and a
creative version of the Duke Ellington classic Caravan.
One track features some Indian influence with
a tabla drum.

The album was recorded mainly in
Havana, with some parts added in Toronto, Canada, which is also where
it was mixed. She is joined by a varying cast of characters, with
bassist Alain Perez being the most frequently heard player. One track
features well-known jazz musicians Hilario Duran on piano,
with whom Ms Navarreto has recorded and Horacio “El Negro”
Hernandez on drums.

Leading off is one of the more
impressive pieces in terms of everything being performed by Ms.
Navarrete, a track
called Baba Elegguá.
It’s
just her batá
drum, with an
overdubbed vocal arrangement. <<>>

Rumbero
como Yo
is a creative cross-cultural blend with a kind of mutant rumba beat
with some jazz-rock fusion elements. <<>>

Taking
a turn toward the jazz direction is piece called Ananda
Oye.
The African rhythm combines with the jazzy sounding piano, played by
Roberto Carcassés.
The tricky rhythmic line and structure makes
it more
interesting.
<<>> In keeping with its jazz direction, there is an
instrumental solo, in this case by bassist Alain Perez. <<>>

The
jazz classic Caravan
by Duke Ellington and Juan Tizol, is given an interesting spin, with
Spanish lyrics by pianist Roberto Carcassés.
The
pianist on this track, however,
is Hilario Duran. The piece develops into an engaging salsa
arrangement. <<>>

With
a name like Namaste
one might expect a piece with Eastern influence. There’s
a tabla drum, and musically it’s definitely a
highlight with its mix of African rhythmic figures, jazz influence
and great vocals.

With
some more traditional Cuban influence is Taita
Bilongo including a
mambo beat and a trumpet part played by Tommy Lawrie. <<>>

Also with a horn section and more
of the traditional Cuban influence is Cachita.
It’s nicely done, with Ms.
Navarrete’ vocal adding an interesting touch. <<>>

The album ends with another
distinctive original piece called A
Ochún,
which is in two parts, with a vocal/percussion section
at the beginning <<> which then crossfades into nice Latin
jazz piece. <<>>

Mi Mundo,
the new debut
release by Cuban percussionist and vocalist Brenda Navarrete, is fine
world-music fusion project that combines interesting combinations of
influences, along with a very appealing sound. Ms. Navarrete is a
first-rate percussionist especially on her batá
drums. But I think her vocals are more impressive, with the way she
layers her voice
in creative arrangements. Though
the album is a relatively short 37 minutes, among its ten tracks the
stylistic mixture is remarkably
wide-ranging.

We’ll
give the album an “A” for sound quality. There’s often a lot
going on and the multi-overdubbed vocals are prominent. But the mix
is first-rate and the sound has very good clarity. They did an
excellent job recording in Havana, though as mentioned, the album was
then mixed in Toronto.

It’s
not hard
to get bored and frustrated with the phony-sounding, mechanical,
electronically constructed
commercial pop which has been dominating
the media. World music provides an
excellent antidote, and Brenda
Navarrete has created
a first-rate album that is distinctive, as
well as
very appealing and often danceable.

(c) Copyright 2018 George D. Graham. All rights reserved.This review may not be copied to another Web site without written permission.